18°02'N 63°03'W · Caribbean
St. Martin / Sint Maarten Yacht Guide
St. Martin is the Caribbean's logistics engine room: duty-free fuel, duty-free provisioning, the best chandleries and technical trades east of Puerto Rico, and the protected Simpson Bay Lagoon ringed with megayacht docks. The whole operation runs on the bridge schedule, because the lagoon's shelter is bought with a lifting bridge on the Dutch side that opens a few times a day and not otherwise. Half French, half Dutch, all business.
Season & Arrival
Season is November through May with the December and March peaks; the lagoon is a hurricane trap in named storms despite its shelter, as 2017's Irma proved, so it is not a storm refuge for anything that floats.
The Guide
Marinas
Inside the lagoon on the Dutch side, IGY's Yacht Haven Grande Sint Maarten complex anchors the megayacht trade: Isle de Sol takes yachts to around 100 meters with deep alongside berths and full concierge, and Yacht Club Port de Plaisance next door runs similar LOA with a resort attached. Palapa Marina covers the 25 to 60 meter fleet. On the French side, Fort Louis Marina in Marigot takes mid-size yachts outside the lagoon. Dutch-side berths book out for festive week by early autumn.
Operating Data
- Isle de Sol (IGY)
- 45 slips, max LOA approx. 100m
- Yacht Club Port de Plaisance
- berths to approx. 100m
- Palapa Marina
- berths to approx. 60m
- Fort Louis Marina (Marigot)
- berths to approx. 35m
Operating data is updated each season. Confirm critical figures with the operator before arrival.
Captain Notes
- Plan every movement around the bridge: miss the afternoon outbound opening and you are spending another night inside. Stack guest arrivals, fuel, and departure against the published schedule with margin.
- The lagoon is shallow off the dredged channels and the channel marks take hits regularly. First transit, follow a local or get the marina to send a pilot tender.
- Simpson Bay outside the bridge is a workable anchorage in settled trades for staging the opening, but it is rolly and the holding is fair at best. Do not leave the boat unattended there.
- Airport approach at SXM passes low over Maho Beach and the anchorage; it is a spectacle, but it also means guest jets land 5 minutes from the dock. Use that.
Local Red Flags
- The lagoon is not a hurricane hole. Insurers and harbormasters both expect departure before a named storm; Irma stacked the fleet like cordwood in 2017.
- Security in parts of the lagoon perimeter is uneven at night; tenders and gear left rigged are targets. Lock down and use marina security escorts late.
- Dual-jurisdiction paperwork catches people: a French-side clearance does not cover Dutch-side movements on paper. Keep your file consistent with where you actually are.
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Downloadable edition planned for a later phase.